Alabama

Onnie Lee Logan puts her birth “somewhere about 1910″ — birth records were often not filed for Black babies in the South during that time. Onnie’s mother and grandmother, who had been a slave, were also midwives. Even though Onnie delivered nearly all the babies in her community, she nevertheless had to supplement her income by working as a maid. Most of the families she served as midwife could afford to pay her little or nothing.

Alabama encouraged local health departments in 1976 to revoke all permits of non-nurse midwives, but Onnie held such a reputation that she was allowed to continue her practice until 1984. In the same year, Onnie met Katherine Clark, who had come to Mobile to teach English at the University of South Alabama. Katherine helped Onnie to bypass her literacy barriers by recording many hours of Onnie’s stories and editing them into what became Motherwit: An Alabama Midwife’s Story. Onnie passed away in July of 1995. For more information see this New York Times article.

This Midwife of the Week post was written by Valerie Meharg. It originated on FoMM’s Facebook page and is archived here on our website for your continued enjoyment!

Grand Midwife Margaret Charles Smith was born in 1906 in Eutaw, Alabama. After her mother’s death when she was three weeks old, the baby was raised by her grandmother, a former slave. In 1949, Smith became one of the first state-recognized black midwives in Green County when the Public Health Team awarded her a permit to practice midwifery. Even though Smith faced fierce racism, sexism, poverty, and the usual practical hardships in attending her patients, such as crossing fields or even occasionally wading through water, she nevertheless caught 3,500 babies during her long career. Despite attending women who were often malnourished and overworked, not a single mother under her care lost her life as a result of childbirth. After Alabama outlawed traditional midwives in 1976, Smith and others were threatened with incarceration if they continued to practice. The practice of midwifery for Alabama CPMs remains criminalized to this day.

Smith was the first black American to receive the keys to Eutaw, Alabama, holds a place in the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame, was honored at the Black Women’s Health Project, and earned a lifetime achievement award from The Black Midwife and Healer’s Conference. She passed away in 2004 at the age of 98.